Creyr Glas Lightworks's reviews

I love this lens, its a great all arounder, portraits pop at the wide apertures, colors are well rendered and I get great feedback when presenting images from this lens to models/clients. I have even used it at a nightclub for event photography combined with a hotshow flash, colors in low light were amazing. Its just a really, really good lens. I did let it go because I got a zoom that covered the same range and wants the 100m F2, but I know I will get this lens again as money allows.

Couldn't ask for more out of this lens. Its wide, its got great construction, and the colors and sharpness are wonders to behold. I ultimately parted ways because I needed wide and IS, so I got the 24-105L. I hope I have the funds to get this guy again so I can take a cheaper lens to locations that do not need the IS capabilities. I miss it for sure, but I guess you can't have it all sometimes.

I shoot with it on a Canon 40D. I bought this lens for shooting nightclubs and bands, in locations I did not want to risk taking my 24-105L lens. I intended this to be a cheap purchase that I could use at F4 to F5.6 combined with a bracket mounted flash to shoot clubs and events. So far, it has delivered excellent results, even moreso than I expected. I knew I was perhaps taking a risk on this lens, but I have not been let down, and I feel the lens is a perfect choice in the end for this kind of photography. Images are vibrant and crisp, with none of the flatness my competition gets with their zoom kits. I can just fire away, and the speed (at 2.8) allows me to get a bit more out of shots in low light without using the flash. The sharpness is quite acceptable for these candid photos. The IQ is hard to judge given the conditions I shoot in. I would like to give this lens a solid 8.5, but I will settle for lowering it to an 8.

Feel free to check out the images here:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=204453&id=354208885860&ref=mf

I am thrilled with this lens. I use it mounted to a Canon 40D and it is my primary studio and outdoors lens for shooting people (model portfolios) and animals. The IQ is superb, it is a joy to shoot movement with. The colors are phenomenal and the clarity is perfect. Its a lens that demonstrates why you should spend the extra money on your glass, there is just no way to express the value I find in having the color and IQ of this lens, even compared to some of my top of the line (non L Series) primes from Canon. The IS is a great benefit as well, and it is ultimately why I went with this lens over the 24-70. I just did not need the extra speed, I wanted the IS over this range. I find the bokeh very pleasing and the DOF to be the right amound of "story telling" over F4-F8. Overall, I am just extremely pleased with this lens. Its worth the money for sure.

A great macro lens, with some limitations due to its focal length, but if you want this range, its the best option out there, period. A joy to use, but sometimes the AF hunts badly if you are close to one end (macro versus infinity) and make a change. I use it paired with a Canon 7D, I have been able to get useable results as high as ISO 3200, nothing for print, but it was amazing what I could get at that range.

We got this for my Olympus EP1, and were blown away. This is a major improvement over the 14-42mm kit lens, and way better than the Olympus 17mm lens the PEN launched with. It is just brilliant. To explain how good it is, I went into my camera store looking to purchase the Canon 28mm 1.8 which is an outstanding lens. After using this lens, I saved nearly $200 and felt I walked out of the store with the better product for cheaper. The color is great, sharpness is incredible, and IQ is pretty good. There is a touch of CA problems, but that is expected out of a lens like this, and its nothing that can't be fixed in post. Everyone who has seen the images this little lens has produced so far has been blown away. Highly recommended!!

I traded my Canon 24-105 F4 IS for this lens because I needed a wider range of coverage, and did not need the long telephoto reach. I knew I was taking a chance on this since there were no reviews anywhere. But after testing this lens against the Canon 16-35L, and the Canon EFs 10-22, I decided this lens gave me superior color and range for my applications (which is studio work for models and landscapes).

First, optically, this lens is fabulous. I find it on par with any L series lens for color rendition, sharpness and overall image quality. I feel I lost no quality in moving from the 24-105 to this lens. The constant 2.8 is great and by the time you hit F4 I think the overall DOF is quite sharp and large. I am very happy with all things optics/image quality from this lens.

Second, this lens is fully weather sealed and is very well built. Its admittedly quirky to have that fish-eye like front element, and its a very long and heavy lens, but I am very confident in its quality, I trust it will give me years of good service.

A few notes for those who want to know. It cannot take front filters due to the front lens element. As I understand it, this lens is very similar to the Nikon 12-24 (http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/1122/cat/13). From the one review I could find, this lens offers similar optical features/quality. Also, it has the focus clutch mechanism, which you either tolerate or love.

In the end, this lens either fills a need or not, and for me, it was the better choice than other options for the Canon mount (I even had the money to get the 16-35L and chose this one). I would highly suggest testing it out if it fills a need in your lens lineup.

So far, I am a believer in this lens. It does what I expect it to do wide open, which is deliver dreamy, creamy imagery. Stopped down it is amazingly sharp, colorful and contrasty. It is worth the money in my estimation. I knew I was taking a risk spending this much on a fast normal lens, but I have no complaints.

Here is an example at 1.2 using nothing but natural light: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cglightworks/5479972872/

Here is an example outdoors at 5.6
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cglightworks/5459792646/in/photostream/

Finally, here is an example in studio at 9.5 using a single alienbees lightsource.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cglightworks/5480223126/in/photostream/

For my applications, I am pleased, and feel good spending the extra $1000 over the cheaper Canon and Sigma offerings at this focal length, or going for the shorter focal length Canon 35L 1.4. I love it!